SUMMARY
Florentia was reincarnated as the illegitimate child of the richest family in the empire.
She had thought that everything would go well in the future.
But her father had passed away, her relatives left her at the doorsteps, and the honorable family she was so proud of was completely ruined….
But is this real?
She drank a little (a lot) and was hit by a carriage,
When she opened her eyes again, she was seven years old?
Moreover, the Second Prince, who was the enemy of her family in her previous life is following her around like a dog!
"Tia, you're prettier than me."
"….Are you kidding me right now?"
"No. I mean it."
Alright, both the Second Prince and the family are mine!
In this life, I'll have to become the Overlord.CHAPTER 1
PROLOGUE
[ You can't gamble the family's property as you please. This is the third time already...! ]
Slap!
With an unpleasant sound, Florentia's head sharply turned to the left.
[ You good for nothing, how dare you admonish me! ]
The smell of alcohol was strong on the body of the man who had just pushed her shoulders away.
[ Let's go to sleep. Calm down, Astall. Go over there. And you... ]
Belsach tried to softly appease his drunken cousin and then turned towards Florentia.
And.
Slap-!
With a louder sound than the one before, five fingers were imprinted on the other side of her face.
[ After four years of squandering on our family's money, do you think it suddenly belongs to you? ]
Belsach berated Florentia as she held her face which had just been slapped twice.
[ Don't be mistaken. Although you and us share the same last name, but with the blood flowing in your veins, you will never be a part of our family. All you have to do is to live as our servant. ]
No matter how many times she heard it, those cruel words felt like a dagger that had just pierced her heart.
[ If you tell grandfather anything that happened today, I won't leave you alone. ]
With a warning, Belsach spit on the ground and turned around.
Soon, the sound of the carriage grew more and more distant.
Left alone in the dark alley, Florentia clenched her fists.
A drop of red blood dripped down her injured lips.
Ttripp, ttripp. "Hiyah-. Hiyah"
The small sway of the carriage and sound of the coachman awoke Florentia from the thoughts of the distant past.
As she slightly lifted the curtains draped over the window and looked outside, she could see the soldiers of the Imperial palace.
"So, we're here."
Florentia lowered the curtains again and looked straight ahead, sitting more upright.
After straightening her hair and dress which had become untidy for a while, she looked like a neat portrait.
In the meantime, her carriage passed through the main gate and reached Lamburgh Palace.
Riding in the carriage that was beautifully decorated, the gold it was made out of showed off it's dazzling brilliance under the glorious sunlight of the afternoon.
"We've arrived."
The carriage stopped and the coachman politely spoke.
"Florentia."
At that time, the carriage door opened and a handsome man greeted her.
"Pherez."
He kissed the back of her hand, after escorting her out of the carriage.
It was a kiss with a deep meaning that didn't hide the desire in his heart.
"Pherez!"
Florentia called him out, but Pherez just smiled with his long eyelashes blinking.
"Let's go, everyone's waiting for you."
She pulled her hand out of his and moved away from the carriage.
Pherez, who laughed after seeing the tip of her ears blushing slightly, soon followed her back.
"There's no one in this Lamburgh Empire who can complain against you for making them wait, my Tia. You can go a little slower."
The two have come a long way today.
"As hard as it has been for you to come here, enjoy the moment."
After much perseverance and efforts, it was time to eat the sweet fruit of her hard work today.
"Yes. I've had a lot of trouble."
Florentia admitted plainly.
She had come a long way back. It's probably even hard to imagine.
She added in a small voice which no one could hear.
"But that doesn't mean I should be disrespectful."
It was a firm answer.
The woman who had made him fall in love with her from the moment he had laid his eyes on her was such a wonderful woman.
Pherez laughed with joy again.
Soon after, the two stood at the door of the closed banquet hall.
"Are you ready?"
At Pherez's question, Florentia nodded briefly.
"Then, shall we go in, Lord Lombardi."
He held his hand out to her.
"Let's go, Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
A fine, pale hand held his hand together.
"Open the door."
Pherez briefly commanded the servant in front of him.
"His Highness, the Crown Prince and the Overlord, Florentia Lombardi have entered!" (1)
A voice came from behind the door, announcing the arrival and the status of the two people.
Florentia laughed since the voice sounded like music to her ears.
The door slowly opened, and the bright light of the banquet hall poured out through the gap.
CHAPTER 1
Skreeekkk.
With an unpleasant sound, the iron gates of the great mansion were closed by the imperial knights.
It was the end of the Lombardis, which had reigned as the greatest family on the continent for 250 years, on par with the imperial family of Lamburgh.
Like an ever-expanding world, the family's symbol, the clan, which had always been strong, ended in vain with the capture of Vieze Lombardi, the patriarch of the household, as well as other figures under the name of tax evasion and treason.
Hundreds of citizens of Lombardi, a city named after the family, had gathered in front of the mansion.
There were those who constantly shed tears into their handkerchiefs, and those who turned away without even looking once.
And in the front row stood me, Florentia.
"Morons."
I said sharply while gritting my teeth, but it didn't matter now.
I glared at the heavily guarded front door of the family and uttered a few more words.
"Freaks, dimwits, lazy people who will remain stubborn even when stuck in a fire."
I could feel the people standing around me looking back at me in surpise, but what do you think?
The Lombardi family is already ruined.
However, no matter how much I cursed, the rage inside my heart did not subside.
"I had already told you that it's not going to be the First Prince. I told you several times that he is just a spoiled brat and he's never going to be the Crown Prince!"
But despite my advice, the Lombardi idiots supported the First Prince.
The First Prince, Astana Nerempe Durelli.
They said it was because he was related to the empress, but as far as I could tell, they only picked the same kind of person as themselves.
He belonged to a 'royal bloodline' but had a fat body, while drowning in luxuries and pleasure and laziness that filled up his stomach.
It was no exaggeration to say that Lombardi's brilliant history was the history of the Lamburgh empire.
It was the Lombardi family that made Durelli the first Emperor of the kingdom and brought the empire where it is today.
Is that all?
Reaching the top, the family accumulated enormous wealth, participated in every war, achieved bloodless victories with excellent diplomacy, and supported great artists from all over the empire. There was no place in the world where Lombardi's name could not be reached.
And it was Lulak Lombardi, the Overlord of the previous generation, who is said to have raised the Lombardi family to a high level.
When the young Lulak had just taken over as an overlord, the imperial family issued a royal edict to keep him in check.
And that's when Lulak came up with the scholarship system.
The government had raised the number of talented people in various fields by providing generous support to both nobles and commoners.
It was no wonder where the loyalty of those who had studied under the support of the Lombardi family would lie.
They were not Lombardi, but they were the Lombardi's people.
So Lulak, the Overlord, had succeeded in planting his people all over the place without even taking a single step out of Lombardi's territory.
Eventually, the emperor, who had no choice but to recognize the Lombardi family's influence, had to take back the royal edict after twenty years.
However.
"No matter how ignorant you are. How can you ruin such a family in just two years!"
Two years ago, after the death of Lulak Lombardi, the first son, Vieze Lombardi, was appointed to the post of the next overlord.
And that was the beginning.
Vieze was a sleazy, passive man who only liked to say a few words, so he couldn't lead the kingdom or his family, and so, the Lombardi's bloodline, a bunch of squanderers, became selfish causing the family to lose their strict ancestry.
It's so obvious, I don't even have to look at it.
The reason I knew so much about them was very simple.
I used to be a Lombardi.
To be more specific, I lived in a country called South Korea, died in a traffic accident and reincarnated into this world.
That too, in the Lombardi family.
When I had first opened my eyes in the body of a newborn baby, I screamed instead of crying while looking at my luxurious surroundings that seemed like a hallucination.
I was finally born with a golden spoon!
There was definitely a period of time where I had woken up in that mansion, greeted everyone in the mornings and gone to sleep at night while looking at the patterns carved on the ceiling.
But sadly, I was just a half. (2)
My father was the third son of my grandfather, the Overlord of Lombardi but my mother, who had passed away while giving birth to me, was a commoner and could not officially get married due to the strict laws of the family.
Born between them, I was technically illegitimate, but with my grandfather's permission, I was lucky to be able to use the Lombardi family's surname.
But that didn't mean that I was recognized as a part of the Lombardis.
All the time, I was just a vaguely positioned child using the Lombardi family's last name and not actually a complete member of the family.
It was all superficial but even then, I was happy only for a short while.
A few days before my eleventh birthday.
After my father passed away due to an incurable disease, I was forgotten in the family.
I was no longer a Lombardi without the father who had linked me to the family.
Soon after, I was no more invited to any family events and I lost my place.
However, I couldn't just leave myself like that, so I started working at the age of 15.
In the beginning, I began to take care of the library in the mansion.
When my father was alive, it was the place we had spent most of our time together, and it was almost like my second home.
But when the librarian suddenly resigned due to an illness, there was a vacancy and I took over the position with much difficulty.
It was ridiculous to entrust the whole library to a fifteen year old child but the surname Lombardi attached to my name had proven to be very useful at that time.
Ordering and organizing books as people requested was something I loved and it wasn't that difficult for me.
As a result of working hard while enjoying my duties, the library became more and more pleasant and I started to be recognized for the first time.
So, one by one, one at a time. Slowly, I started to touch on the affairs of the mansion.
By the end of my eighteenth birthday, I began to be in charge of the affairs inside and outside the Lombardi mansion.
It was quite an extreme job.
My father's brothers were all snobbish nobles living in their own little bubble, and my Lombardi cousins were rogues who got involved in some or the other accident every day.
And the year I was 19, my grandfather fell ill and I was assigned the duty to assist him by his side.
It was only natural that no-one knew the family affairs as well as I did.
Unlike my other cousins, who were born with blank heads, my grandfather was quite shocked at my ability to learn anything quickly and fulfill my responsibilities accurately.
"If only I had known a few years earlier that you were such a child!"
As my grandfather, Lulak Lombardi's illness worsened, sighing became a habit for him as he constantly thought about the future of the family.
"I would have passed down this family to you..."
Every time, he would sigh and laugh.
"Nothing would have changed, grandpa."
"Why do you think so?"
"I'm illegitimate. How can I become the overlord with a commoner's blood in me?"
"No, Florentia."
The voice of my grandfather who was shaking his head was very firm.
"You are a Lombardi. As long as you have the blood of the family, you're well qualified."
However, it was only a late regret, and Vieze, my grandfather's first son, was counting the days when he would become the overlord.
But the last three years that I had spent with my grandfather were not meaningless.
During that time, I was able to feel some affection for the first time after my father had passed away.
"I'm sorry, Florentia. I should have taken better care of you. And all of that even though you're my granddaughter...I'm really sorry."
It might have been regretful for him, but it was enough for me.
The resentment I had felt towards my grandfather since he hadn't paid much attention towards me since I was a child had dissappeared after that heartfelt apology.
He had done his best for the Lombardi family.
With affection, he did everything he could to make the family reach greater heights.
I stayed up all night working, and I didn't mind taking care of the dirty work and mistakes of my cousins.
I really loved being a part of the Lombardi family.
However.
"Get out. You know what you have to do without me telling you any further, Florentia."
After my grandfather's funeral, Vieze said those words while throwing a bag in front of me.
"I had been patient because of your father for a while, but I can't just wait and watch any more. I can't believe I let you stay in my place for so long."
I've been too patient.
Were you completely blind to all the work that I had done for the family?
For all the effort I've been putting, it seems I wasn't a Lombardi after all.
"You can strip me off of my last name of Lomabardi. Let me work for the family. I need to be here."
I spoke some funny words.
However, Vieze only laughed.
"You still don't know anything till the end. Don't ever come near this place again!"
I was kicked out just like that.
Without receiving any rightful inheritance of property despite being a Lombardi.
And exactly two years later, that idiot completely ruined the Lombardis!
That great family!
The beautiful Lombardi family that I had dedicated my youth to!
Bang!
The glass I put down roughly made a loud noise.
The owner of the bar glared at me, but my anger had exploded and I couldn't care less about it.
"So the Second Prince became the one to reach the top!"
It was the Second Prince that no-one cared about because he was the child of a maid.
The Second Prince, Pherez Brivachau Durelli.
No-one had ever thought that that prince, who had been rumoured to have died in the small palace, had actually grown up so brilliantly.
And with a tremendous amount of talent, he was the first to graduate from the Imperial Academy as both a civil servant and a military officer at the same time due to which he ended up grabbing the attention of his father, the Emperor!
Not only that.
The second prince even ate up the entire parliament at once by grabbing the nobles carefully recruited by the First Prince and his mother, the Empress, due to his tremendous charms.
Sigh. The Lombardis wouldn't have gone bankrupt if only they had hung on to the right rope.
"One more drink here!"
No matter how much I drink, the rage burning inside me doesn't seem to fade at all.
"If you have two eyes, you should have seen it coming already! No matter who looks at it, it's obvious that the Second Prince is more likely to be the emperor than the one who has nothing better to do than get involved in debauchery and gambling!"
But those Lombardi fools didn't know that.
Probably because they were laughing along with the First Prince on the gambling table.
Eventually, the second prince became the crown prince and soon after, the emperor passed away.
The Lombardis, who had done all sort of vicious things to make the first prince the crown prince were hit by extreme backlash.
"Hah...I need to go home."
I felt dizzy because I had drunk too much alcohol.
Fortunately, the house where I lived on a monthly rent was only two blocks away from here.
As I placed the money on the counter, I staggered and walked out of the bar.
"Bastards. Brainless fools. Worthless scoundrels."
It was when I vividly recalled the faces of my uncles and cousins that I began to curse.
Slip.
One foot of mine slipped in vain, my body tilted to one side and I staggered, struggling not to fall.
And the place where I finally stood straight was right in front of a moving carriage.
Kwang!
Something hit me hard at the back and I could feel my body floating in the air.
I could also hear the hooves of a horse in the distance.
It's kind of stupid that I had died in a car accident in my previous life, and this time it's a carriage accident.
When I glanced down, my body that had been floating in the air steadily fell to the floor, unable to defy gravity.
Very soon, darkness fell.
Only
Translator's Corner
Just picked up a little side project. Hope you like it
Glossary
(1) 'Overlord' – So, the word that is constantly used throughout the novel (and it's also supposed to be in the title) is '가주'. This is a word that was frequently used in the ancient times but not in modern Korea. It refers to the head of a rich, honorable family that has GREAT influence over the economy of a country. They are very powerful families and have a very high status and authority, almost like a family that describes a generation. I don't really know the right equivalent English word for it, so I'll be using Overlord as just 'lord' doesn't do it. Of course, for referring titles, I'll just use 'lord'.
(2) 'Half' – Okay, I don't really know how to translate this. But in Korean, this word means 'half (something)' . For instance, over here, she's just half-blooded.
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CHAPTER 2
"...Father?"
I could see a brown-haired man in his late twenties reading a book.
"...Fathe-, no... Dad?"
The green eyes that resembled mine looked at me.
"What's wrong, Tia?"
As I heard the voice that I had remembered distinctly, I got goosebumps on my arms.
What, is this for real?
The smell of books and the ambience of the library were way too clear to be considered a mere memory before dying.
I tried to figure out the situation by blinking several times.
Why am I suddenly standing in the library of the mansion, when I had instead been waiting for my death due to being hit by a carriage?
Why is the bookshelf so big and why is the desk so high?
"Tia?"
When was the last time someone had called me so affectionately?
I felt like I was about to cry as I looked at the familiar green eyes.
My father was the young man that I had remembered in my memories.
"Tia, are you alright?"
I don't know what the hell was going on, but first I need to get out of this place.
"Wait a minute. The thing is, can I go to my room?"
My father, who had tilted his head, gave me a nod while closing his eyes in relief.
"Yeah, you can. Do you want me to come with you?"
"N-no! I can go alone!"
"Haha. You're more energetic today. Then, please go carefully."
"Yep. Well, I'll be right back. Stay here for a moment!"
Saying that, I started running.
As I looked around at the library while running, it seemed to have retained its old look.
It was the appearance which had been there before I became the librarian and changed it efficiently.
It's strange! Really strange!
As I ran out of the library, a familiar yet unfamiliar hallway greeted me.
My room was too far, so I entered a random room as its door was open.
The room with a single bed and simple furniture looked like it didn't belong to anyone.
I thought it was the guest room, but that wasn't important right now.
It was impossible to count the number of vacant rooms in the mansion, to the point it almost seemed like a village.
"Mirror! Yes, mirror!"
Fortunately, I was able to find a full-length mirror placed in the corner of the room.
It didn't seem that far enough. But strangely enough, I had to take several steps to reach it.
And the moment I stood in front of the mirror, I could see why.
"Why am I so small?!"
My body was ridiculously small, and couldn't even fill a third of the full-length mirror which was made to fit the height of an adult.
Looking down, I could see two small hands that looked like maple leaves, a baby belly and a tiny pair of feet.
"How old am I now?"
I can't ask anyone. After thinking for a moment, I hurriedly lifted the hem of the skirt that I was wearing.
"It was my eighth birthday when I had fallen and injured myself!"
There was a time when I was playing in the garden and I ended up scratching my knees severely on the rocks. The scar was so large that it was still present even when I had been 25 years old.
"No. No scar."
The knee looked smooth without any sign of an injury.
"Then I'm not eight years old yet..."
I looked in tbe mirror once again, but my appearance of a child remained unchanged.
Even though I had just suffered an accident and opened my eyes, I was surprised to see no wounds on my body– but if I'm to really talk about what's more surprising, then it's the fact that I came back to the past.
Even if I had experienced reincarnation after dying, it wasn't that easy to accept.
This is the first time I've ever experienced a regression.
My legs were shaking, so I sat on the bed next to me.
But being so short wasn't that easy either.
The Lombardi mansion's landscape was barely visible from the window due to my small height.
"I'm really back in the past."
I murmured as I watched the large evergreen trees soaring deep in the garden.
These were the trees that had been chopped off when my first uncle, Vieze had become the overlord.
He had said that it was for the purpose of landscaping but it was quite obvious that he just didn't want to see the trees that my grandfather had cherished.
However, it was later found that the trees were the ones the first emperor had offered to celebrate the completion of the mansion.
He was named as the eldest, but that man who was the so-called overlord didn't even know about the importance of those trees to the family.
"Foolish Vieze."
I don't know what the hell grandfather was thinking but Vieze was never suited to be an overlord.
But in that sense, even my younger uncle, Laurel was not qualified.
If Vieze was a man with a narrow and intolerant view, his younger brother, Laurel, was just like a loyal hound who was always moving as his brother ordered.
If anyone was capable, it was my father, Gallahan.
Although he was overly thoughtful and somewhat fragile, he was a well educated person who wanted to go to the academy for higher education.
But my father had passed away early, so there weren't many options left...
Wait a minute.
"My father...can he be saved?"
My father had passed away due to an illness shortly before my eleventh birthday.
At that time, there was no cure, so I couldn't do anything about it, but just a few years later, I clearly remember the news that a doctor had discovered the medicine.
"I can save my father!"
My whole body trembled with joy.
My eyes seemed to be hot, and tears dripped down my face.
You don't have to lose your father.
He can be saved.
You don't have to watch your father die a painful death at such a young age.
It was ridiculous, but I was somehow able to return to the past.
And right away, another realisation came along.
"Then, wouldn't I be able to protect the Lombardi family?"
I jumped up from my seat and walked towards the window.
From the library, the view of Lombardi's huge four-story main building and several buildings built around it could be seen at a glance.
I could also see the guests, servants and other men working in the mansion.
All of this had ceased to exist.
In my memories, I could see the imperial knights closing the doors of the empty mansion in front of my eyes.
"First of all, I have to stop Vieze from becoming the overlord."
As the next overlord, it had been his judgement to support the first prince at that time.
Rabini Angenas, the mother of the first prince and the current empress of the Lamburgh Empire is also the cousin of Vieze's wife, Seral.
With such a relationship, it's inevitable that they would be inclined to support her son for the position of the next crown prince.
The first prince was the first person who couldn't afford to deal with such immense power and responsibility and moreover, Emperor Jovanes had never been a foolish monarch himself.
It was Vieze who didn't understand his own mind and ended up supporting the first prince.
If only you hadn't declared your support so publicly.
No, you had even tried to blackmail and harm the second prince!
Otherwise, Lombardi would have remained safe.
Then, I'd thought I would try and persuade Vieze, but very soon, I realised it wouldn't work.
Had he been a man who could be persuaded easily, he wouldn't have ruined the family like that within such a short time.
If so, it means that someone else should be the overlord instead.
[ I would have passed down this this family to you... ]
I remembered how my grandfather would always say that while sighing out of habit.
"Me...shall I try?"
I chuckled because it sounded like I was out to catch clouds.(1)
While I had been helping my grandfather and practically taking charge of the family affairs, it wasn't just once or twice that I would have the thought that I'd rather become the overlord instead of Vieze since he kept ruining all my hard-earned efforts.
Actually, no matter what I do, I'm sure I'll be better than my uncle anyway.
"At least I wouldn't make that mistake against the second prince. Then our family will be safe. I know for sure that the second prince will end up becoming the emperor anyway..."
If so, how about I place the second prince in the line in advance?
Wouldn't it benefit the Lombardis if we got close?
Not only that. I had a memory of what would happen at least for the next 20 years.
If I could make good use of the knowledge I had, I could make the Lombardi family stronger.
I can protect my dear family with my own hands.
Clearly.
"Let's do it."
It was a family that would be ruined if left unchecked.
Hundreds of years of reign would tragically be destroyed just like that.
I couldn't let that happen to the Lombardis.
"I'm going to be the overlord."
Or I could have my father succeed my grandfather.
It just couldn't be first uncle Vieze or second uncle Laurel.
"Then, for now..."
I leaned back on the bed and organized my thoughts a little bit more.
"Master Gallahan has received a call from the Lord, so he's gone to the office, my lady."
When I returned to the library, the place where my father had been sitting was neatly arranged and this is what the librarian told me.
The old librarian whose hair had already turned grey, Brochle.
It wasn't until Brochle had resigned from his job due to an illness that I started working in the library.
He was originally a famous professor at the academy, but later started working for the Lombardis.
"Library grandpa."
If it were my original age, it would have sounded very idiotic to say that to Brochle, who was once a professor, but what do you think? I am a child now.
"Please lend me one book."
"What kind of book would you like?"
When I said the title of the book, Brochle looked dumbstruck.
"By any chance, is this something Master Gallahan has asked for?"
"No. I want to see it."
I understand why Brochle looked surprised. But I waited confidently, not avoiding his eyes that were practically staring at me.
This was the book that I had wanted to read the most before I was hit by a carriage.
However, it was so precious and expensive that in the end, I was never able to read it.
After a while, I left the library with a pretty heavy book in my arms.
"I'll go near the office and wait while reading a book."
I had asked someone a little while ago and found out that today was the third day of the week.
It was grandfather's old habit to have a brief meeting with his 3 sons and 1 daughter on the third day.
But the time would be different every time, so my father and his siblings would have to stay in the mansion all day and wait for grandfather's call.
Nevertheless, no-one could express their dissatisfaction against it.
Because in this Lombardi mansion, grandfather's power was absolute.
When I was walking by myself, I found the main building and was able to stand in the hallway in front of the office.
It was a place I had visited often when I had helped assist grandfather in his work.
From a child's point of view, it looked somewhat different.
I wanted to take a closer look around the inside of the main building but I had to rest by the window.
The distance from the library to this place is too much considering my short stature.
Moreover, I could feel that my child body was weak and gets tired easily.
Only
And then, when I was thinking of taking a nap soon,
"Hey, half-blood."
I heard the voice of some cheeky kid calling me.
Glossary
(1) 'Catch clouds' – This is used when someone pursues something vague, absurd or somethibg that is impossible to do.
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CHAPTER 3
"Pfftt!"
A shameless laugh was heard.
It was Vieze's son, Belsach, who had called me.
A man with brown hair and brown eyes, who did not resemble his mother, Seral, at all and instead, just looked like a replica of Vieze.
That grumpy looking face had many flaws but even then, women would never stop approaching him due to his status of being the eldest son of the Lombardi family.
"Hhaaha!"
But what was in front of me right now was just a little boy who I'm assuming must be around ten years old.
He was someone who engaged in all kinds of nasty things, so I was the one who had to clean up and deal with his mess. He was really someone who made me tremble whenever I saw his face, but as a child, he was pretty cute.
"Are you laughing at me?!"
However, that temper wasn't cute at all.
Still, I was about to apologize because I thought I'd end up feeling bad later.
"This filthy half-blood dares to laugh at someone!"
But offensive words kept leaking from his mouth.
"Half-blood?"
Little by little, I began to remember.
My cousins, including Belsach had cursed me to death just because my mother had been a commoner.
"Brother, I think that half-blood must be pissed off right now?"
As I turned my head towards the voice that just poured into the air, I could see my second uncle's first son, Astall, standing next to him.
If Belsach had made me crazy due to his disorderly private life and violent incidents, then Astall had troubled me by becoming addicted to gambling.
He had become a good target for the other gamblers because he was a powerful, brainless idiot whose innermost thoughts would be visible to everyone.
Eventually, he almost got kicked out by grandfather and before he entered the Lombardi knights faction in his later years, there were several buildings that Astall had already sold away due to gambling debts.
That's right, these two would always stick together and pick on me.
"What would you do if I was angry?"
"Are you going to cry again and pee?"
At that time, I had been very afraid of these two.
Even if it was just a child's prank, the bullying by them had been very vicious.
I was too young and powerless to deal with their pure malice towards me because as the saying goes, children are more cruel than they seem.
So, previously, whenever I would come across these two, I couldn't even run away and would only tremble, so that everything would just end quickly.
Sometimes, it would just end with ridicule and some insults, but on days when Belsach wasn't in a good mood, he would end up bruising me.
When my father would show anger due to it, Vieze and Laurel would often rebuke him and say 'that's how young kids grow up but it's too much of a joke.'
"Ha."
But I suppressed my anger. Then I asked something.
"Belsach, how old am I now?"
"What?"
Belsach looked at me strangely as if I had suddenly asked a weird quesiton.
"How old am I?"
Originally, I wanted to make my voice more intimidating and deep but since this was a child's body, I was limited in that sense.
"You don't even know that?"
When I spoke in a way that disregarded and looked down on him, Belsach replied angrily.
"You're seven years old! I know!"
Oh, I see, you mean I'm seven?
"Right. I'm seven years old. And you're ten, and Astall is eight years old."
There was a difference of about three years and one year between us, so I was able to calculate their ages.
"Now that you're that old, how can you be so childish?"
Originally, children like to think they're all grown up.
"You shouldn't make fun of your cousin by calling her half-blood like that."
I tried to coax the two as nicely as possible.
What do the kids know about this? All the fault lies on the adults.
But Belsach's mood turned rather nasty.
"Cousin? Childish?"
Somehow, somewhere, it seemed that something bad was going to happen.
I turned myself around because I sensed he needed something to vent his anger quickly.
Belsach, wheezing, looked down at me threateningly.
"Is she crazy?"
And then he raised his hand high.
But for some reason, he waited for a while before hitting me.
As if he was expecting me to be afraid.
But when they didn't get the response they wanted, Belsach and Astall became perplexed.
And their embarrassment was expressed by the act of hitting me.
"Ahh!"
The raised hand grabbed my hair and pulled me as hard as it could.
With that power, my knees and scalp burned as I fell hard on the ground.
When I looked up, I could see a few strands of my hair ripped out in Belsach's hands.
"Haha! What a sight!"
The face, pointing at me and laughing at me, was the same as the face of the one who treated me as a maid, asking me to go out to the fountain and do the laundry every time I encountered him in my grandfather's office.
The anger that I had suppressed inside me by thinking of him as a child soared back.
"For the lowly half-blood. Are you trying to teach me?"
Belsach said while pushing my head down.
"Just because you have the same last name, you've started deluding yourself into thinking you're one of us."
Astall smiled meaningfully behind him.
"You're not a Lombardi. So get the hell out of here, you half-blood."
"I told you not to say it."
"What?"
"I told you, don't call me a half-blood."
I, who had fallen on the ground, lifted one foot and kicked Belsach's shin.
It wasn't a very strong kick, but the shin area hurts quite a bit even if one hits lightly.
"Arghh!"
Belsach screamed loudly and fell backwards, clutching his legs and rolling around.
I immediately stood up with the book that had been dropped next to me.
"Th-this!"
I could feel Astall step closer in surprise as he tried to help.
I turned my head to the side without saying anything and stared at that child, Astall.
That alone caused the timid Astall to become terrified and stop at his place.
I glared at him one more time so that he could stand there quietly and then approached Belsach, who was still rolling around like a puppy.
"This spoiled puppy."
I wasn't wrong.
My first uncle, Vieze, had no manners and often behaved like a dog to his wife and Belsach was a seed that had been produced to be just like his father.
Puppy was just the right word.
A fearless puppy.
I'll fix your habits.
"You, you crazy bi*h!"
He was in pain, but his mouth was still alive and loud.
With the book that I was holding, I began to use it to repeatedly smack Belsach's shoulders and arms.
It's a pretty thick book so it will hurt.
"Aghh! Ahh!"
"Again and again! Half-blood! Half-blood! You made me mad by saying half-blood! You were asking to be beaten! Shouldn't have done it!"
"Ast-Astall! What are you doing! Argh! Get this nasty thing off me! Ahh!"
Belsach called Astall desperately but the small child was already trembling.
The little boy, who was only eight years old couldn't help it anymore.
"For me! Because of you! How hard it is for me! I know it!"
Ignoring the hand that was trying to push me, I continued to smack Belsach with the book.
"Ughh, kggh!"
Even though I had only smacked him a few times, this young child's body was out of breath and my arms felt weak.
If Belsach would have acted rebellious and hit me back, I would have been instantly knocked out, but fortunately, I was safe.
He started crying.
"Ahhh! Nngh, save me!"
My ears were stinging because of how loud his voice was.
It was then.
The door of the office burst open and a loud yelling sound was heard.
"What a fuss!"
A middle aged man with a huge, intimidating presence whose neatly arranged white hair and beard gave the impressions of a lion's mane appeared in front of me.
"G-grandpa."
It was my grandfather, Lulak Lombardi, the patriarch of this Lombardi family, who was staring at the scene of Belsach lying on the floor and me smacking him with my book.
"Belsach!"
Soon after, someone came screaming from the office while calling out his son's name and pushed me roughly.
"Ah!"
It was incomparably strong compared to how I had been pushed down by Belsach a while ago.
The book fell far away, and my palm and wrist became sore as I used them to reduce the impact of my fall and avoid hitting my head.
"Tia?"
That's when I heard an affectionate voice.
My father, who came out of the office belatedly, saw me and approached me with surprise.
"Oh my god! Tia, your wounds!"
It's probably because I look like a mess right now.
Belsach was the one crying, but apparently, my condition was much worse.
"Brother, Father! Father!"
But I know how loud Belsach is, and he's going to make it worse than it is.
"You! Apologize to my son right now!"
He asked me to apologize without even bothering to listen to the whole story.
My eyes turned red and I turned my head away, because I didn't want anyone to see that face.
"This, this cheeky thing!"
Then, Vieze stretched his hand out as if he was about to hit me right away.
"Brother!"
I felt my father hugging me and protecting me.
But judging the situation, it seemed like he would end up hitting my dad who was blocking me.
"Stop it!"
However, the immediate situation was temporarily suspended as soon as my grandfather voiced out in anger.
Vieze was still struggling, but he couldn't say anything anymore and stared at me with his eyes as if he was going to kill me.
In the quiet hallway, only the whimpering of Belsach rang from time to time.
Me? I was quietly laying down in my father's arms and hugging him.
To be honest, I'm flattered.
I wanted to leave a good impression on my grandfather but from the beginning itself, I messed up.
All because of that stupid Belsach.
My grandfather, who took turns looking at Belsach and me for a while, then looked at Astall.
The boy was already hiding away while holding onto my second uncle, Laurel's clothes.
Only
"Astall, what happened?"
Grandfather asked.
Astall looked up at his father for a moment and then replied.
"B-Brother Belsach and I were just walking and this half, no, this Florentia suddenly started hitting us."
No, but can you see what that loyal dog is saying?
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Report chapterChapter 4
"She kicked and knocked me down, and after that, She Hurriedly hit with a book..."
I'm going crazy and jumping.
To lie by twisting facts trickily.
It was also surprising that Astalliu had a brain capable of doing that.
With my heart, I wanted to shout that that was all lies, but I held back.
Instead, I just looked at my grandfather with the meaning of 'I have something to say!'
My grandfather looked at me once and asked Astalliu again.
"You mean that Florentia started beating you and Belsach for no reason?"
"Well, that..."
Sadly, Astalliu is not so adept at making up lies quickly.
Among Lombardy's line, especially those with a blunt head might do something physically, but jobs that require knowledge are difficult.
"Florentia hates us from the beginning..."
Feeling a sense of crisis, Belsach spoke out loud instead of Astalliu.
I raised the tail of my mouth silently.
"Don't interrupt someone else's conversation, Belsach."
Because it's what Grandpa hates the most.
That is why I have been holding on to it without yelling that it's unfair.
"Where did you learn such despicable manners?"
Belsach's tears, which have stopped, filled with tears again from rebuke.
But he can't even make a whimper about how scared he is.
"Keep talking, Astalliu."
It is Astalliu who is getting more nervous now.
The guy who couldn't make up the right excuses before now buried his face in his father's clothes, Laurels, and started crying.
Well.
That was the reaction of the usual children in front of their grandfather.
Lulak Lombardy's tremendous charisma sometimes makes even normal adults tremble.
Since I was young, I saw my grandfather, and are the children of Lombardy, so I was okay.
Most people didn't even dare to make eye contact.
"Florentia."
As my grandfather called me, I felt my father's hand grasping my shoulder straining.
"You, tell me."
But while asking questions, my grandfather didn't seem to have very high expectations.
It was natural.
The original me, Florentia, was an exceptionally timid child.
That's what I inherited from my father, more so because I was harassed by my cousins like that.
But I said, looking straight into my grandfather's eyes.
"I haven't done anything wrong."
"Even when my son like this now... !"
"Viese!"
Eventually, great anger broke out from my grandfather.
The momentum of Viese, who seemed want to chew me at any moment, died, and his shoulders shriveled.
He couldn't overcome his temper and intervene, a while ago, his son was scolded for doing the same thing.
Like father, like son.
"Keep talking."
Grandpa said horribly to me.
But I could see that there was something else in those eyes that seemed cold at first glance.
"I was here waiting for my father. But all of a sudden, Belsach and Astalliu came and made fun of me by calling me half-blood, and I told him not to do that, so he hit me."
"You got hit? Who hit you?"
"Belsach."
I did not forget to lift my index finger and point to Belsach.
"And he called me lowly-born and told me to go out to the commoners village."
Even if I didn't see, I knew the expression of my father who listened to me now.
It was because the hand on my shoulder was trembling with anger.
It could have been a bit of a fuss, but now it was time to tell him how I was being treated.
Father, sorry.
Please be patient.
"So did you hit Belsach because of that?"
"No."
"Then why did you hit him?"
"That's Belsach..."
I took a small breath and said again and again.
"That's because Belsach told me, 'You are not Lombardy's.'"
Me and my grandfather's brown eyes faced straight.
They were plain-looking brown eyes, but I knew they saw so much that the killer couldn't even imagine.
"That's right, I'm half-blood."
My mother wasn't allowed to use Lombardy's name until the end, so I was definitely half right.
I had no intention of denying it.
"But even though I'm half-blood, I'm definitely Lombardy's. My grandfather acknowledged it, Lombardy."
In the past, I thought I was incomplete because my mother was a commoner.
That's why I was always ignored as a half-blood, and my cousins regarded them as beings with half that I would never have.
That's why I accepted that it was a worthy event though I was treated like an employee, not a member of Lombardy.
However, when I saw how they running the family, I realized it was painful.
That I'm a hundred times more worthy of the name Lombardy than those nerds who call themselves Lombardy and shrug their shoulders.
The fact that I am no less than anyone else, Lombardy.
"Belsach denied me that I wasn't Lombardy. And I can't stand it."
"He didn't make fun of you, but because he said you weren't Lombardy?"
"Yeah."
I nodded and answered, then deliberately added a word.
"Grandpa."
It meant 'I'm your granddaughter too'.
I wanted to say that I deserve to call you grandfather as much as Belsach.
And at that moment I saw.
The faint smile on my grandfather's face, who had been stiff as if angry, passed by.
"Did your knees hurt?"
At the end of my grandfather's words, I looked down at my knees.
Blood was bleeding where it fell.
"Of course it hurts."
"But you don't cry instead, usually you are a cry baby."
I missed it.
Do you think it's strange that I suddenly changed, who was a cry baby until yesterday?
A little embarrassed, I replied quickly.
"I will cry. I will say everything I want to say and go to my room and cry."
"Huuh"
My father smiles a little above my head.
I heard a sound.
At the same time, the tense atmosphere was gently relieved.
Thank God.
I secretly swallowed a sigh of relief.
The first thing I had to do to become a state was to earn my grandfather's trust.
The Lord of Lombardy is my grandfather.
From the big and small things of the family to the successors, everything goes according to grandfather's will.
In a word, it meant absolute when we received grandfather's will. [1]
Although the other people of the Viese family may not be pleased with me, they can do very little as long as I am favored by my grandfather.
In this Lombardy, to fly outside of grandfather's eyes is like a social death.
Belsach fighting accident has happened unexpectedly, but it was an opportunity
I was wondering how to get my grandfather's attention, but it seems like I took a step closer at this opportunity.
"I, Father. I think we need to heal Tia's wounds."
My father, who had noticed, carefully spoke to my grandfather.
"Well, yes, it should be. Take it."
"I've got your permission, so I'll leave."
It was when I was trying to hold my father's hand.
"Wiat."
Grandpa called me.
Oh, why again.
"Florentia. Is this book yours?"
It was my grandfather who picked up a book that had fallen on the ground and gave it to me and asked.
The thick book titled People of the South was not a fairy tale book read by children even at a glance.
That means it is very expensive and valuable.
I was freeze.
It was because I had completely forgotten about books and because I knew what my grandfather thought about people who used books.
I decided to confess.
My grandfather saw everything I hit and beat Belsach with this book, so there was no way out.
"Yes, that's my book."
I replied, holding the book with both hands.
"I'm sorry."
"Hmm?"
Grandpa looked at me as if he was wondering.
What.
Wasn't you angry?
"What do you apologize for?"
"Well, that's the rough handling of books, because books are meant to convey knowledge, not to beat people, not to hurt people."
"You did say you didn't do anything wrong a little while before."
You have a good memory.
I said pretending not to know.
"I think it's a good way to admit it quickly when you realize a mistake."1
"Haha... ."
grandfather, who might have laughed for a moment, told my father.
"Come on and take Florentia to the doctor."
A doctor who resides inside Lombardy.
There is.
With the support of the family, it was a small hospital that healed people while teaching disciples and doing research.
"Yes, father."
My dad looked at my bleeding knees and hugged me.
Since I'm only seven years old, it was natural for her father to hug her daughter, but she is an adult woman with a healthy mind.
It was awkward to be hugged by someone so sweetly, to my father who died a long time ago and I never saw him again.
"But Father! Will you cover this just like this? Florentia hit Belsach!"
Viese, who had been crumbling and distorted, shouted unfairly.
"Florentia must take responsibility for it!"
Oh, he's explode.
I wanting while put my face on my father's shoulder.
Worried about ending up the same as the past.
"Are you arguing on my decision now?"
Grandpa's voice became bold again.
"No, that's not it..."
"Viese."
"Yes, father."
"You know you're embarrassing."
Grandfather, who left only those words, went back to the room.
The remaining Viese worked hard, but there was nothing he could do.
"We'll go then."
My father greeted people while holding me.
I thought I would go right away, but I stopped walking for a while, passing by the rain rite and said a word.
"Brother. Aren't you too excited about the fights of children?"
"Woohoo!"
I had to hurriedly shut my mouth with one hand.
In the meantime, whenever Belsach tormented me, he returned what my father had said.
"You, you...!"
Viese had a temper and didn't know what to do, but my dad just moved his feet and steps with a calm face.
I hugged my father's neck and looked behind me, looking for Belsach with my eyes.
When he made eye contact with me, he shook his shoulder.
I subtracted the grumpy smile from the smiling face and said in the shape of a mouth.
'SEE. YOU. LATER.'
The quiet guy suddenly said, 'Ahhhhhh!'
I burst into tears, but I enjoyed this moment by rubbing my face in my father's arms that I missed without paying attention.
Oh, it smells good.
Glossary
[1] 'Jang Ding' - I don't know what it means, but the manhwa TL, tells something like that.
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Report chapterChapter 5
"Dr. O'Malley, are you there?"
My father arrived with me in the hospital in the mansion, as expected.
Doctors in this world are similar to oriental medicine doctors, they decocted and grind medicinal herbs and use them as medicines, and some doctors have mysterious powers that are sometimes called healing powers, they are similar to the priests seen in novels.
As soon as they entered the small building, even those who did not know the smell of the medicinal herbs that vibrate in the air will know that this place was a clinic.
"Dr. O'Malley!"
As you can see from the smell of herbs, Lombardy's doctor, Dr. O'Malley, was an electronic type of clinician. [1]
"What are you doing here, Gallahan?"
From the inside, the door of the lab was opened and a man with a more suspicious impression walked out.
He was a tall man who looked roughly in his late forties.
"Florentia is injured, can you take a look at me?"
At my father's words, Dr. O'Malley looked at me.
If I was injured enough to bring me to the clinic, a child who should have been crying usually looked at himself.
"Oops, how can it be like this?."
I sat in a chair, looked at the wound, and Dr. O'Malley frowned.
It was because the wound was more severe than I thought.
"I fell over."
I questioned, why it looked like the same wound as my old wound.
"Your knee may be hurt from now."
Unfortunately, it was originally the place where I fell and was injured on my birthday.
When I tried to grow without scars, I ended up getting something similar.
However, it wasn't broken anywhere, and unlike me, My father nodded his head, and his face turned out to be bad.
"Who... ."
It would be upsetting to seeing scars on his daughter's body.
My father's big hand stroked my head heavily.
Dr. O'Malley looked at the woman's appearance happily for a moment, then took out a strange potion and smeared it over my wound.
"And are you in pain again, young lady?"
Honestly, it's a bit awkward to hear the drama of respect for the first time in a long time.
Right.
I felt like this before my father died.
I reached out to Dr. O'Malley with my left arm, which was more anxious than my knee.
"Here you go..."
"Ugh."
The doctor, who saw my swollen wrist, knocked his tongue unwittingly.
"Who did it, Tia?."
My father asked in an angry low voice.
Probably it because of Belsach and Astalliu, who made my wrists like this.
It seemed to me that He was going to go to the parents of the child who is responsible for it.
But I replied in the same tone as before.
"I fell over."
"Tia..."
My father was upset and called me, but I pretended not to hear or do not know.
"Hmmm. I don't think it's broken because of the degree of swelling, but I think you should be careful about a while."
Eventually, a thick bandage was wrapped around my wrist.
When I take a bath, I can loosen it, but I must rewind it, and Dr. O'Malley decided to visit me every few days.
And I was told that I had to drink bitter medicine every day for a month.
It was the worst prescription for me, who hated bitter food or tea even as an adult.
My father, who looked at me holding a medicine bag with a quivering face, said to Dr. O'Malley, as I felt bitter in my mouth.
"Doctor. I want to talk to my daughter for a while, but will you leave me?"
"Yes. I'll be in the lab. Call me if you need anything."
The doctor went back to the lab and only me and my father were left.
This is Dr. O'Malley's space, so if there is anything to say, we are right.
But naturally, from the image of my father asking the doctor to go out, I felt that he was the son of Lulak.
"Tia."
My father knelt on one knee and called me at the height of my eyes sitting on the chair.
Seeing my father with the same eyes as my green eyes that I could only see when looking in the mirror, I am happy with a pain in one of my chests.
"Why didn't you talk earlier?"
It may be the story of Belsach and Astalliu.
My dad knew they were bothering me, but it must have been a big shock as He knew for the first time today that I was even listening to such abusive words.
In the old days, I was scared by Belsach's words that he would give a jailbreak as soon as possible, and I couldn't even think of asking for help from the adults.
Eventually, my father did not know this until the day he died.
I thought it was fortunate back then.
Now, looking back, it was really stupid.
"When we were talked, He said I'm half-blood and hit me more."
"These guys!"
My angry father jumped up as if He was going to punish Belsach and Astalliu right now.
But my hand grabbed my father's sleeve.
"It's okay. I hit him a lot today, so He won't be able to say that again."
If I do it again, I hit it again.
My father, who was embarrassed for a while at my cool reaction, sat down again with a burst of bleak laughter.
"Tia, can I ask just one question?"
"What is it?"
"Why did you act differently today?"
It seemed that you wanted to know what had changed in my mind.
From a parent's point of view, I wonder what my child is thinking.
"Because I know I can't stand it if I just keep quiet."
When I was young I had endured it, thinking that if I endured like this, it will end someday.
As I expected, as we got older, Belsach and Astalliu's harassment stopped, but it wasn't really over.
Eventually, it turned into a different kind of violence and discrimination.
"So, if I won't be patient in the future. I'll hit them again, and if that doesn't work, I'll reach out to adults and cry. So don't worry too much."
I said it and hugging my father, who looked at me with sad eyes.
My father, who had been hardened for a while, as if surprised, patted me on my back.
"But Tia. Why are you suddenly calling your father? I would like you to call me dad as before."
Oh.
I originally called my father, dad.
I felt sorry for the sudden sense of distance, and my father's eyes were falling.
I finally met my father again, who died ten years ago, but I can't even do that!
"Dad!"
I said it and holding my father's arms more sweetly.
"Lets We live happily together for a long, long time!"1
"Hahaha! Anyway, Tia."
Dad doesn't know what I said right now.
You won't know it in the future.
This time, I won't do anything like that again, letting go of it in vain.
I will save it.
Neither Dad nor this Lombardy!
Office room of the Overlord.
Lulak rubbed his white brows and looked at the book in front of him.
People of the South
He sends a person to bring another one from the library the book that Florentia had before.
It was because he wondered if he remembered the contents of the book incorrectly.
This book was a study of a new mysterious tribe discovered about a decade ago at the southern tip of the empire.2
The authors introduced that they live in the forest and have a very closed culture.
They have the mystical power of 'magic'.1
It was explained that it was an ability that only came down through the lineage and that it was such a secret power that could not be taught to outsiders.
Lulak, who opened the bookshelf and scanned the contents, covered the book.
Such content was not important.
What worried Lulak now was why his granddaughter, in her seven years old, was reading a difficult academic book written for adults, which is not a liberal arts book like literature.
Smart.
With the sound of a knock, a man with a long blonde tied neatly and wearing glasses entered.1
It was the scholar Clerivan, who has been supporting Lulak since the early days of creating the scholarship system.
Currently, the residence's finances and was in charge of the Lombardy children's education.
"Did you call me Lord?"
"Sit down for a moment."
As soon as Clerivan stands across the table, Lulak pushed his People of the South in front of him.
"What is it?"
"It's the book my granddaughter was reading today."
"If it's a granddaughter... Larane-nim?"
Larane was Viese's eldest daughter and Belsach's two-year-older sister.
"It's amazing. I read a book like this at the age of eleven..."
"It's not Larane."
"Then who is it?"
"Florentia."
At Lulak's words, Clerivan frowned.
He wondered if Lulak was joking in front of him.
"I'm not kidding."
"But Florentia-nim is still... ... ."
"Seven years old."
Clerivan, who held up the book as if checking the contents of the book as Lulak did, seemed to be in doubt.
"Wouldn't it be that you just liked the cover of the book and had it?"
The dark green cover, like the forest in which the people of the south live, could have looked pretty to the eyes of a child.
"When I'm seven years old, I'm only at the age of knowing how to read children's books or a few books."
"Usually it is."
"Then, are you saying that Florentia-nim is not common?"
"I called you to find out."
"If so... ... ."
"From next time, let Florentia also take classes with other children."
Once a week, Clerivan gathered the children of Lombardy and gave a class.
Subjects follow classes regardless of age.
The only children in the class who are expected to be able to attend are the only two-child, brothers, and sisters of Viese and the eleven-year-old twin brothers of Shananet, the only daughter of Lulak.1
"Florentia-nim is still too young. A seven-year-old will find it difficult to sit in one place for such a long time, rather than understand the class."
"That's also generally the case."
Clerivan, who read something meaningful from Lulak's words, narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell are you trying to check, Lord Lulak."
"Well"
Lulak's thick fingers struck the desk.
"Florentia's mother was a nomad who flowed into this city. She was beautiful in appearance, but there was no other special corner."
Now the face is faint, but only two strong green eyes remember the woman who remained deeply in impressed, Lulak said.
"That's why it's true that I didn't pay much attention to Florentia. Looking at it from today..."
He remembered the face of his granddaughter, who was saying everything she had to say without shed a drop of tears even though her hair was messed up here and there.
"Because I thought there might be someone who inherited Lulak's blood."
When he remembered how she was swinging a book on top of Belsach, who was much larger than she was, a rare joyful smile appeared on Lulak's wrinkled face.
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Report chapterChapter 6
"Tia, what would you like to have as a birthday present?"
My father asked me when I was watching the servants take out the breakfast bowls.
As a result of a very careful search last night, I was able to find out that I was still seven years old and had about a month left on my eighth birthday.
"A teddy bear! A very big teddy bear, I want to have it!"
I shouted out loud, picking a gift that a seven-year-old child would want.
"But don't you hate dolls?"
"Ah ..."
It ruined.
Since I was a child, I wasn't happy with dolls whether they resemble humans or animals.
I feel like they were alive and moving at night.
I said that I wanted to have a huge teddy bear.
My father looked at me as if it was a little strange, and sweat was flowing behind my back.
"Now, when I think about it. I think dolls are not good."
"Then what would you like to buy?"
"Hmm... ."
I had nothing to remember.
What I want as a gift is a villa in a quiet place or a manor where you can live with money for life?1
But I can't ask for something like that.
I must tell you to buy a suitable book or one.
At that time, my father clapped his hands as if he had a good idea.
"Okay! How about a horse, Tia?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you take a foal about one-year-old and put it on and raise it from now on, it will be a great horse by the time you are an adult."
"What..."
I couldn't answer for a moment and blink my eyes.
Horses are expensive.
Depending on how many horses they own, it was an important asset that could measure the size of the owner's or the owning group's property.
The ransom of a horse was the same, but more important was the cost of maintenance.
If you weren't going to feed them and get rid of the excrement, you'd have to hire someone to do the job for you, and you also needed a stable.
There was nothing to say about the vast land where horses could run freely.
Even the average noble family buys horses for their children, but it was a perfect gift for the 18th birthday of adulthood.
"When I was only your age, I received my first horse as a birthday present."
But this is Lombardy.
Such general economic standards were not used.
He is usually a very modest and gentle person, so I sometimes forget it, but my father also a member of the Lombardy family.
With that thought, I stared at my father.
"Huh? Why are you looking at me like that, Tia?"
"It's nothing. But Dad, when that happens, the foal is a no."
I didn't really want to learn horse riding, so I came up with an excuse to refuse.
"You do not want?"
"It only one-year-old, but have to separate from the mother. Then it will be very sad."
"Tia."
Oh my.
The moment I spoke, I realized I had made a mistake.
It was because my father's eyes, looking at me, became moist in an instant.
"You don't like being separated from your mother..."
I forgot for a moment.
The fact that my mother died as soon as she gave birth to me.
It was obvious that my father misunderstood that I was thinking of identifying me with the foal.
"Oh, Dad. So that's...!"
I tried to fix it later, but it was late.
My father, who looked sadly at me with tearful eyes, hugged me and said.
"This dad had a short thought. Let's bring that mother horse together."
"I'm okay... Yeah?"
What have I heard now?
"As you said, it seems too cruel to separate a foal that is only one year old from the mother. So, if you buy the mother horse together, you won't be able to live happily without falling apart."
That's right.
Foals are also expensive, but mares that can give birth are more expensive.
But my father, son of Lulak Lombardy, couldn't have that in mind.
I nodded in a half-given state.
"How can our Tia be so good at heart?"1
My father stroked my hair as if it were lovely to the world and then hugged me tightly again.
Okay.
"You can learn horseback riding, well."
My father said to me, snarling like a fat cat.
"Shall I not go to the library today, but read a book in the parlor?"
Unlike other cousins who leave nanny and spend most of the day with them, I didn't have a nanny.
Small things such as washing or changing clothes were solved by borrowing the hands of the maids, and instead, my father took over the whole of my life.
In a word, I said that I was sticking to my father like a scab until I woke up and fell asleep again.
It was also because my father and I were close because they were only two small family members, but the reason why such a simple routine was practically possible was that my father an unemployed.
"I have to write a book today."
He was an interested and well-educated father in many places, from arts to economics, but he did not use them in practice.
Is knowledge just the type that ends up like that?
Then, sometimes, when there is a department that he is really interested in, he organized what he knew and made it into a book, like that.
Of course, there is no revenue generated there.
The finished book is only placed on the bookshelf in my father's study.
Nevertheless, my father has the money to buy mother horses and baby horses at the same time on the birthday of his seven-year-old daughter.
After all, Lombardy is the best.
Suddenly, drawing something, and confirming my father focused on his work, I opened my book and sat down a little away.
Of course, reading was just imitating, and the purpose was something else.
"Let's organize your thoughts."
It was to point out what to do in the future.
It would be best to organize it by writing it down on a piece of paper, but there was a risk that someone would read it.
Being stuck with my father all day is annoying at times like this.
Pretending to be reading, I turned over the bookshelf and picked the first thing I should do.
"You have to capture your grandfather's heart."
If my grandfather had known my abilities a few years earlier before he died...
I lamented, but I'm sure that will not change the future of the family.
Even if I knew it a few years earlier, it was too late.
What would have changed if the succession structure had already been hardened by the eldest son, Viese, and an illegitimate granddaughter, not even recognized as the third son's successor, shows superiority in the situation in which his son, Belsach, becomes an adult.
There were three mountains I had to cross to compete with them.
It was a seven-year-old daughter of a powerless third son.
So, from now on, I should show my talents to my grandfather as an opportunity.
I had to solidify my position and win my grandfather's absolute support.
"But I don't have to rely solely on the power of my wealth just because it's a family affair."
There should be no choice of means and methods.
So what I came up with was the Second Prince.
Someone outside the family and who will strengthen my position within the family.
Even after becoming the Lord, it is the Second Prince who can empower me.
Of course, I will also help him a lot until he becomes a Crown Prince.
There is no future Emperor who will reject Lombardy, who has built trust since childhood and helped him become a Crown Prince.
We can be good friends.1
"Oh, it turns out that it was around this time."
I looked out the window as it started to rain.
The Second Prince, Perez's mother, dies one day during the rainy season this year.
I was told that despite the birth of the Emperor's son, she died without receiving proper treatment under the pressure of the empress.
Perez, who was poisoned by, became the Crown Prince, and when the Empress lay down on the bed, he returned the poison.
It was ordered not to allow lawmakers to enter the palace.
Instead of a wandering Prince, he was a Prince who had taken power, and Astana, the First Prince who was supposed to be his mother's shield, was pushed to the fringes, so there was nothing to stop him.
How long he will struggle from being a Prince in a back room where no one looking for him to become a Crown Prince?
It cannot be done without being poisoned.
Perhaps by now, Perez, who is thin without his mother, is spending day by day alone.
I feel like I want to go and comfort him, but I can't go.
It was a rule made by my grandfather.
Lombardy's children cannot leave the mansion at will before their 11th birthday.
However, limited access was possible with the state's permission, to prevent crimes against the descendants of young Lombardy.
"So be patient."
I didn't mean to let go of my hands until I was 11 years old.
But now was the time to focus on the work inside the family.
The next thing is to create an opportunity to go to the Imperial Palace.
After organizing my thoughts, I turned over the book again and tried to recall my memories.
"What happened to Lombardy around this time?"
If you take on the work of the family for several years, you learn the history of that family even though you hate it.
In my case, although I wanted to study harder.
The year I turned eight.
Apparently there must have been quite a big deal in Lombardy.
It was then.
I heard a strangely familiar voice with a low knock sound in my ears, groaning with my head wrapped around.
"Gallahan, are you there."
When did I hear this voice?
"Who are you?"
Tilting his head, my father opened the door to the parlor.
And I was amazed at the face that looked through the open door.
After becoming the top of Lombardy, and after my grandfather died, he went out of the house like me and formed a Pellet Company, and in just two years, he developed into the top 5 Lambrew Empire.
Clerivan Pellet was stepping into our parlor.
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Report chapterChapter 7
Why is that person here!
It looked a lot younger than I know, but that was definitely the Clerivan Pellet.
His tall stature, an upright attitude as if he had a cast on his waist, and his eyes with a raised edges.
In this Lombardy, few people can maintain such an uproar.
"What brought you here, Clerivan?"
My father was scratching his head as if he was a lot confused.
I would be like that, too. Clerivan Pellet was a very capable, but very busy person, overseeing the top of Lombardy.
At least in the future I know he was.
To the point, I can count on my two hands when I see Clerivan's face properly while working with my grandfather.
Replace my grandfather to write most of the important reports.
"Can I go in?"
"Of course. Come in."
My father is still waiting for Clerivan in the middle of the parlor, and I quickly pretended to pick up the book and read it.
I don't know why.
I just thought I had to do that.
He fixed his gaze somewhere on the letters that filled the side of the book, and instead raised his ears.
As if conscious of me, Clerivan looked at my side and sat across from my father.
"What's going on? If my father said something in a hurry..."
"Not so."
"Then."
Even though he was an employee of the same family, my father's attitude was very different from his dealings with Dr. O'Malley.
That alone gave me a rough idea of the location of the Clerivan in the current family.
At least, it was clear that the son of Lulak was not a person who could do it at will.
Why did such a person visit my father?
"The reason I came to today is not with you Gallahan-nim, but with Florentia-nim."
Huh?
I?
I endured all of my patience to not look there.
"You mean you came to see Florentia...?"
"Yes, that's right."
It seemed that I could feel the gaze of my father and Clerivan.
Somehow, my forehead was aching, but I flipped the bookshelf as if I was still reading.
"Then it must be about class."
Class?
What class?
Unlike me, who is still confused, my father halted his head.
"It hasn't been confirmed yet. Today I'm here to talk to Florentia-nin for a while."
"Yes, that's right."
Apart from understanding why Clerivan came today, my father seemed quite embarrassed, coughing a couple of times, and then call me.
"Tia, come here."
"Yes."
Like a kid who has been reading all the time, I screamed with a face that didn't know anything.
Then I thought about where to sit for a moment and sat down on my father's lap.
Because I am seven years old now.
If you're a real seven-year-old, you'll want to stick with your father as much as possible in a space with strangers.
As expected, my father lifted me and sat me on his knees.
Then there was a moment of silence.
To be precise, I and Clerivan faced each other and said nothing.
I just stared at Clerivan, who said he came to talk with me and didn't say anything.
It was because I couldn't say hello first. After all, I didn't know if I had met him before or not.
"...Indeed."
After a while, he looked at me with his eyes and muttered an unknown word, bowing his head a little while he was sitting, and greeted me first.
"Good to see you, Florentia. I'm Clerivan Pellet."
Thank God.
I haven't met you before.
I bent my back with a sigh of relief inside.
"Hello, my name is Florentia Lombardy."
My body stumbled as if I had bowed my head too politely to say hello to the real world of the future family as well as possible.
After all, the body of a child with a large head is very uncomfortable.
"Gallahan-nim. Can I talk to Florentia-nim for a moment, just two of us?"
The format was a question, but it wasn't really asking my father's consent.
In a word, He was told to go out.
"Tia. Clerivan-nim says you have a few things to ask. Dad will be in my room for a while.
My father gently stroked my hair and explained to me.
"Yeah."
I expected to some extent, but I'm a little nervous about having to talk to Clerivan alone.
The sharp gaze that makes me open up with my head, chest, and stomach is also very burdensome.
I felt as if I was on the experiment table.
When the door of my father's room closed, Clerivan stood up and brought something from there.
It was a book called People of the South that I was reading a while ago.
"Do you know what I am doing in Lombardy?"
Knowing that I'm not so nervous.
'That', what kind of job did Clerivan Pellet be in charge of when he was young?
I shook my head out loud.
"I'm teaching the younger heirs of the family who will lead this Lombardy in the future."
Ah!
Class!
Now I understood the conversation between my father and Clerivan.
Since I was nine years old, I had been taking lessons from an education officer for a while.
But the teacher at that time wasn't Clerivan.
Before that, did he move to another position?
Anyway, the 'class' that Clerivan refers to is a kind of successor class and was the first official evaluation platform for Lombardy's children to climb.
According to the plan of the education officer, the children of the family are gathered and taught together.
At first glance, it may sound like just light home training, but it wasn't at all.
Rather, it had a lot of cruelty.
First, there was no set age at which to attend classes.
Only children who were judged ready to follow the class, no matter how old, were eligible to attend.
Naturally, the level of children is revealed according to the age at which they begin to take classes.
Secondly, the age was not decided even for quitting class.
Just one day, I was told, 'You don't have to go to class anymore.'
That was my case in the past.
Of course, it wasn't graduation, but I was no longer disqualified from attending classes.
And finally, the assessments made during each class are reported to my grandfather.
In a word, it meant that the current Clerivan Pellet was like a direct line that could connect me and my grandfather.
And that I came here separately.
"My grandfather sent it?"
I barely suppressed the laughter that seemed to pop out of my grandfather's face, which was shining in his eyes when he saw me.
As I stared at myself without any special reaction, Clerivan, slightly frowned on something I didn't like, asked me, laying down the book in front of me.
"I heard that you are reading this book."
"Yes, I've been reading it since yesterday."
"Is that so. If so, what is it?"
Seems like I'm testing if I can really read this book now.
It was good to read it in advance last night.
Well, pretending to think for a while, I replied.
"I just read a bit yet, but there are strange people living in the Southern forest of my country. This is a book that tells stories about them."
Clerivan heard my story and seemed a little embarrassed.
You probably thought I was carrying books like a toy.
I understand.
Of course, It was suspicious to reading a fairy tale book or a book that would make even an adult bored by a seven-year-old girl.
I looked at Clerivan with a smile in the attitude of 'Ask Anything'.
"What is the name of the author who wrote this book?"
"It says 'Lopili' on the cover there?"
"What was the content of Chapter 1?"
Someone named Lopili was telling how he got to hear rumors about the people of the south."
"Hemm..."
It was Clerivan who lost words to my unobstructed answer.
I asked with an innocent expression that I didn't know anything.
"Did you come here because you want to read this book? Would you like to borrow it?"
I handed the thick green book to Clerivan and said.
"I'm curious about what's behind it, but I can read it later."
"Hmm. It's not like that. I've already read it, so you can keep reading it."
"Ah, that's good!"
I laughed, holding the book in my arms as if I was really happy.
It was so fun teasing him like that, it was great to see those cold human eyes fluttering wildly.
He was embarrassed for a while.
Clerivan, who came back with a blunt face, asked me another question.
"There are three rumors that Lopili heard. What is it...?"
"Wait a minute, Uncle Clerivan."
"...Why?."
"You were wrong."
I laughed as I rolled up the tail of my mouth.
"Lopili is not 'he'. It's 'she'."
"Yes?"
"If you look at the page in front of the cover, it's listed. The full name is Abane Lopili. She a female scholar."
"Well, what is that now..."
Confused Clerivan opens the book and urgently reads the preface down.
Oh, it's fun.
I put one more word toward Clerivan, who couldn't hide his embarrassment.
"You already read it. You read it roughly."
His shoulders flinch, then his ears turn red.2
I had to bite the flesh on the inside of my cheek in order not to laugh.
Cleverly, who covered the book with a sound, said with fear, looking at me sitting with a relaxed expression.
"At first, it will be difficult to keep up with the class."
"You will learn a lot of new things!"
I nodded and said brightly as if welcoming.
"We do not treat you special because you are young. You will be taking classes with your cousins who are older than Florentia."
"I think it will be fun!"
How to make the moon look brighter when the night sky is dark.1
I would look smarter next to them!
Excitedly, seeing me running around with my short legs, Clerivan sighed a little and said, as if giving up.
"... And not uncle. Call me a teacher."
Finally, permission has run out!
Before Clerivan changed his mind, I quickly replied out loud.
"Yes, teacher!"
You're taking classes at the age of seven!
Perhaps the fastest in Lombardy history?
How is Clerivan going to report what happened today to my grandfather?
The imagination made me feel better, and I laughed at Clerivan.
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Report chapterChapter 8
Lulak's mandate was to bring Florentia to the class.
However, Clerivan's suspicions were too big to follow orders without examining it himself.
A seven-year-old kid reading such a book.
That cold-hearted old man, does he become the mother of a hedgehog in front of his granddaughter? [1]
Clerivan's thought, knocking on the door of the room used by Gallahan and Florentia.
As he walked inside with a surprise greeting from Gallahan, he found Florentia reading a book in one of the parlors.
As if he was seeing, she was reading People of the South on a green cover.
'She can't really be reading.'
From the start, Clerivan didn't believe Lulak's words.
He had no intention of taking another seven-year-old who knew nothing and risking ruining the atmosphere of the class he had been struggling with.
He was thinking of convincing Lulak by confirming that today Florentia was just looking at the book as a picture book.
"Tia, come here."
At Gallahan's call, Florentia walked over to the book.
Curly brown hair tied with a ribbon and white cheeks with a peculiar blushing appearance of a child were impressive.
But apart from that, Florentia still looked too young.
This was especially the case for sitting on her father's lap.
But there is only one thing.
There was something that shook the heart of Clerivan, who was convinced.
It was a bright green eye that resembled her father, Gallahan.
How many seven-year-old children were facing each other with a smiling face without avoiding the eyes of an unfamiliar adult who was deliberately staring at them?
"Sure."
It was worth saying that Lulak saw this child and had his blood thick. Certainly, Florentia looked closer to the personality of his grandfather, Lulak, rather than his father, Gallahan.
But still a child.
Even if it might appear bold and bold in the future, it was a completely different story from the hypothesis that he had a genius brain to read and understand professional books at the age of seven.
But Clerivan's thoughts shattered when he started talking to Florentia.
"I haven't read a bit yet, but there are strange people are living in the woods south of my country. This is a book that tells stories about them."
The child was surprisingly grasping the contents of the book.
Someone may know this much.
Clerivan thought so, trying not to be shaken.
"What is the name of the author who wrote this book?"
"Is it written 'Lopili' on the cover there?"
"What was the content of Chapter 1?"
"The man named Lopili was telling how he got to hear rumors about the people of the south.
"Hmm..."
However, despite continuing questions, there was nothing more to say when Florentia responded unobstructedly.
Is it really that this child understands everything and reading properly?
Clerivan's confusion did not end there.
"Lopili isn't 'he'. It's 'she'."
"Yes?"
"If you look at the page in front of the cover, it's listed. The full name is Abane Lopili. She is a female scholar."
You've been pointed out by a young Florentia.
Although People of the South was a book I read a long time ago, it was a mistake that I did not know that the author and speaker Lopili was a woman.
It was the result of inadvertently thinking that it was men who published such famous research books.
Clerivan realized his fault in front of Florentia's stupid eyes and blushed in embarrassment.
"You already read it?. You read it roughly?."
Eventually, I was even teased by a child.
At the moment when he thought that the smile was very familiar with only the corner of his mouth raised, Clerivan frowned.
This child really resembles My Lord.
Even the smiley face that turns the inside of that person upside down?
"Be sure to attend class starting on the 6th day of the next week."
However, Clerivan left Gallahan's room and smiling.
"I had to change my job to be an educational teacher then officer. Let's try a little more."
If it's a child, it might taste a little to teach.
After a short period, he regained his motivation and hurried back to his office to prepare for the class.
"It's been a long time since the sun has risen, so shall we go for a picnic in the garden?"
My father, who was having a leisurely afternoon, came up with an unexpected proposal.
"Let's wrap a bunch of delicious cakes and cookies that Tia likes and get some sun. Oh, it would be nice to stop by Dr. O'Malley before that."
Aha.
My father's intentions were seen at a glance. He thinks I don't like going to the hospital, so he trying to twist it into a picnic full of delicious things.
It's already been a week that Dr. O'Malley talked about it.
I nodded, thinking that time was passing very quickly.
My father smiled wide and moved quickly before I changed my mind.
Seeing that a picnic basket had already been prepared, it seemed to have been planned.
There are some very cute things.
On the way, I took my father's hand and headed to Dr. O'Malley's hospital.
Dr. O'Malley and another person were in the drooling office.
"Uh?"
The blonde woman nodded while listening to this story, as if being instructed by the doctor, seemed to be in her early twenties and a half.
"Did you come?"
While Dr. O'Malley greeted me, my eyes didn't fall from her.
When I asked my father who noticed my gaze, the woman responded with a thin voice whether she was surprised.
"Oh, this is Dr. O'Malley's disciple, Estira."
It doesn't look so timid.
I was surprised by the sudden situation that the son of Lulak was talking to.
"Now, then shall we look at the wrist?" Dr. O'Malley came to me with a smile.
However, I turned to my father's arms and avoided the doctor's touch.
"Tia?"
"Haha, the lady suddenly seems to be unfamiliar."
My father seemed embarrassed by my unscrupulous behavior.
"Why is Tia doing this? Is it because I'm scared?"1
I shook my head and said.
"That sister ..."
"Hmm? Say it again, Tia."
"That sister, please."
I mean, all three people were embarrassed.
It was also Dr. O'Malley who broke the awkward silence that had flowed for a while.
"Is she liked Estira?. Then today's treatment is with Estira."
"Still ... ."
"Estira is an outstanding child among my students, so don't worry. I'll be with you. Is that okay, Miss Florentia?"
I nodded, walked up in front of Estira, and squeezed out my sore wrist.
"Oh, then, then for a moment..."
As if embarrassed, the red-faced Estira carefully unwrapped the bandage around my wrist.
How tense I was, I can see her fingertips trembling.
Sorry for making the situation this way, I spoke first to call attention.
"Sister's name is Estira?"
"Yes, that's right."
"My name is Florentia, and my dad's name is Gallahan."
"Well, are you... ... ."
He works in Lombardy, so of course, you know our name.
However, it is not bad to introduce yourself once again.
So that Estira can remember us more clearly.
"What does sister learn from the doctor?"
"I am learning herbal medicine."
"Hey. So, are you trying to become a doctor too?"
"Yes, it's still a long time away."
Perhaps because I was talking so well, Estira's tension seemed to be even more relaxed.
"Since the swelling has subsided a lot, I think I can change the medicine, Master."
"Well, that's right. Go get the sakos grass extract."
Dr. O'Malley's words made me frown.
I wasn't worried that I would use good medicine because I had no problem, but I was very worried about the taste.
Just as expected.
The light green liquid that Estira brought was very bitter at first glance.
"Eat this, Tia."
As if my father had been waiting, he handed out the cookies from the picnic basket.
I squeezed my hand in, pulled out three large cookies, and held them in one hand.
Gulp.
I swallowed the medicine that I used to make my whole body tremble, and quickly put the cookie in my mouth.
Then I served one of the two remaining cookies to Dr. O'Malley.
"Oh, thank you, Young lady!"
The doctor was greatly pleased and scooped the cookie into his mouth.
And the other one.
"Eat your's sister."
Estira's eyes widened by the cookie popped out in front of her.
"I, I"
"Because you healed me. It's delicious."
Estira, who hesitated for a moment, finally accepted the cookie with both hands.
"So then shall we go?"
My father hugged me and said vigorously.
"Goodbye."
I greeted Dr. O'Malley while being held by my father's arm.
In the distance, I saw Estira looking down at the cookie I gave her.
"Sister, hello!"
As I shouted, she was startled and bowed down towards me.
I kept waving my hand.
Next time, should I pick up the cookie and ask Estira to come.
I have to keep watching and get close to each other.
"Hhhh."
With my arms around the window, I was greeted by the cool breeze, so a humming song came out.
"You look good today. Are you excited about taking your first class tomorrow?"
Well, there are some like that.
As I looked at my father and laughed, he followed me and smiled.
Then he went back to what he was doing, and eagerly teases his hand and drew something.
I also looked out the window again.
As if the rain that kept falling until yesterday was a lie, the sky was clear.
The air felt even cleaner.
I greedily swallowed the blowing wind as if I was going to drink it all.
And at the end of that long breath, a wagon with a flag on top was seen entering the mansion.
I muttered a little, rolling up the tail of my mouth.
"Come."
Glossary
[1] 'Mother of a hedgehog' - hedgehog means a person regarded as being of a type that tends to see things in terms of a single, overarching viewpoint or philosophy. Also, the real hedgehog mother is overproud and overprotective of her baby.
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Report chapterChapter 9
When Florentia was happily looking out the window, Clerivan was in Lulak's office.
In addition to the job as the successor education teacher, like someone who took care of the education in the mansion, he also had a lot to report to the owner of the house.
"...That's all I'm going to tell you today."
"Good job. Let's just sit down and get the tea."
"Then, I won't give up."
When Lulak pulled a small bell to ring, the attendant, who was waiting outside, came in with a teacup.
Lulak Lombardy's office in the mansion, the sweet scent of the finest tea leaves delighted the sense of smell.
"So, how do you feel?"
Although the words were cut off, the relationship between Lulak and Clerivan was enough to understand the meaning.
"I was able to understand the words of My Lord."
"Yeah, it's a very good opinion, you are"
However, as much as he was stingy with others, Lulak laughed for one day because he knew of Clerivan, who was more strict to himself.
"Not so long ago, I thought she was just a normal seven-year-old child. It's a very strange thing."
"Even if not, I tried to ask about that."
Clerivan said, putting down the teacup.
"I have called and asked the servants who had brought by Gallahan-nim and Miss Florentia, and no one knew about the girl's genius."
"I see."
"I told you that Miss Florentia was qualified to take the class, and Gallahan-nim was also very surprised."
"Hmm..."
Lulak rubbed the well-groomed beard.
It was a habit that comes out unconsciously whenever I think deeply.
Clerivan, who was looking at the figure, carefully put a horse on it.
"I don't think Miss Florentia was hiding her abilities."
"Hidden the ability...?"
"It's just one hypothesis... ."
"Please explain."
Like the color of an old giant tree, Lulak's brown eyes, which became much darker with the years, contained the power to make the person facing him lower his head.
Following the look of Lulak, Clerivan's face also became serious.
"She is a very brilliant lady. Because she such a person, she'll see things that ordinary children will never see. For example, this Lombardy is the location of his father, Gallahan's house."
"It could be."
The atmosphere of Lulak became even heavier.
He was the one who led the Lombardy family more successfully than anyone else, but he didn't go as far as his children growing.
No, it was the most difficult thing in Lulak Lombardy's life.
One was too much, one had no idea, and one was weak.
The eldest daughter and only daughter, Shananet, was the most appropriate.
To Lulak, who was concerned about it, his son-in-law, Vestian Schults, came to Daryl-in-law and had his two sons follow Lombardy's surname.
Even now, it wasn't once or twice that there was a problem when Lombardy's small business rights were taken away by Schults, who was not even qualified.
Lulak shook his head with a gloomy face and sighed and lamented.
I was a little violent
However, the overlord was not to intervene in the succession fight.
He just watches to avoid going to the extreme.
"Is it lucky that Florentia doesn't resemble her father?"
My heart, which seemed to be stuffy, came to mind as I thought of Florentia, and it opened up and became cool.
"Miss Florentia's brilliant brain may be due to Gallahan's proper parenting. The environment is important."
"But that's a pity... Gallahan's position is indeed limited to the extent that Florentia had to conceal her abilities."
"I don't have much time left yet. Don't be too impatient."
At Clerivan's words, Lulak nodded his head heavily.
"Let's watch it. Make sure to report it directly to me after each class."
Clerivan took another sip of tea and replaced it with an answer.
Smart.
It was then that sound of knock was heard.
It was Viese who appeared with Lulak's permission to come in.
"Father, the people from the top of Durak have come."
"Then I'll get up."
As soon as Viese stepped into the office, Clerivan said, greeting Lulak.
Only then, when Viese noticed the existence of Clerivan, outright displeased and frowned.
"You were there too."
"It's been a long time, Viese-nim."
The two of them couldn't get along and said the thing right in front of him.
"My father has to meet an important person, so get out of the table..."
"No, sit down for a while, then go, Clerivan."
"Father!"
Although Viese showed dissatisfaction, Lulak did not budge.
Clerivan, compelled to follow the orders of the mansion Lord, shrugged and sat down again.
"Ask someone on the top of Durak to come in."
"Yeah."
Although he didn't like the situation, Viese moved smoothly while staring at Clerivan.
Soon after, a middle-aged man in a fancy dress waiting outside came in and politely greeted Lulak.
"Nice to meet you. This is Croyton Angenas at the top of the Durak."
Angenas.
The familiar family name wrinkled Clerivan's eyebrows.
Angenas was the current empress's family and the family of Seral, the wife of Viese.
Clerivan quietly folded his arms.
"I'm Lulak Lombardy. Sit down and share the story."
Even in the short moment as Croyton sat down, Viese couldn't hide his recalled face and shake his ass.
"I heard the story from my eldest son, but will you tell me about the plan again?"
At Lulak's words, Croyton cleared his throat.
The explanation was lengthy.
After the long and long story, Clerivan asked to confirm the point.
"So, You trying to bring textiles from the east, process them, and sell them, but the current Durak tops don't have enough room to go up against such long distances, so you want to ask me to transported them to the top of Lombardy?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Also, the payment for the textile should be borrowed from Lombardy Bank."
"Yes, I would appreciate it if you do."
"Ha..."
What the hell is this bullshit?
Clerivan rubbed his bloody forehead and stared at Viese sitting across the table.
"Hmm..."
Lulak was also rubbing his stretched beard as if he was uncomfortable.
"Isn't that a very good way, father?"
The words of the stupid Viese seemed to explode.
Now it was clear that he didn't even know what was the problem.
"If this is the case, please pay a large amount."
Moreover the Empress's cousin brother who was none other than Angenas delinquent, as if he was looking for the money he had entrusted to him.
Gosh, from their point of view, they might have thought it was all a simple thing.
This is Angenas, the mother's family of Astana, the first prince.
The Imperial Family, at the front with the empress as the back boat, was tied together.
In other words, Lombardy had to deal with the failure of this business, where only the shell was on top of the Durak, and eventually running with Lombardy's money.
Unless they intend to completely pretend to be with the Imperial Family, it would be impossible for Angenas to procure the door as if pursuing a debtor, and knowing that, they knocked on the door of Lombardy.
Who doesn't know what kind of storm that will appear in each of those words?
The only one that didn't know about this was Viese, who is now smiling.
Not even Lulak knows how ridiculous this 'business plan'.
Clerivan tried to calm his anger.
It was because he believed that Lulak would refuse moderately.
"I'll leave this to you, Viese. Try to do it thoroughly without making any mistakes."
"My Lord!!"
Clerivan, startled, exclaimed, but Lulak did not open his mouth again.
"Yes! Trust me, Father!"
Viese was inclined to run away with Durak's top lord before his speech changed.
Clerivan, who alternated between Lulak and Viese, who were consistent in silence, stood up from his seat and said firmly, hoping that he couldn't.
"Let's look at the things and talk before."
It was Viese who was embarrassed by the sudden intervention.
What kind of thunderbolt is this in the midst of happily saying it was done?
The inside of this top-tier Durak project was the golden circle that would allow Viese to approach the power of the center even further.
Currently, Angenas is experiencing some financial difficulties, and if he can solve it with this textile business, Empress will be in great debt to himself.
But when he hurriedly looked at the complexion of his father, who didn't know his heart, he was lingering at his opinion.
Viese yelled at Clerivan, who was sprinkling ashes over the finished rice.
"You, someone who responsible for children's education, don't !"
However, Clerivan ignored Viese and looked only at Lulak.
"That's not an unreasonable request. How about you, Mister."
Croyton rolled his eyeballs as if for a while and nodded reluctantly.
"I do that. I have a pile of textiles that I have already brought, so I will take them and visit again."
Viese's crumpled face turned red in front of the top of the Durak.
And I couldn't lift my head like a man who had done something wrong.
"Sorry, Mister. It is not necessary."
That idiot!
Clerivan got sick of holding back what he wanted to yell.
It's like earning a low profile to a visitor who came to borrow Lombardy's hand and money.
No matter how stupid dogs were, they knew who to show their ships to.
Is he the son of Lulak?
Clerivan stared at Lulak, who looked at her eldest son with unknown eyes, but eventually shook his head.
"Is this right here?"
I was standing at the big door.
Although I lived in Lombardy for over twenty years, it was a room I had never been in.
When I was in class, I used the research room of the education officer in the north annex, not near the office of the Lord office.
"I guess this is right, well."
Shrugging me, I pushed the big door with strength.
The door opened smoothly without any noise, and the interior was visible.
"What?"
I used to think of a typical classroom with desks and chairs.
Actually, that was the environment when I was in class.
However, the appearance that I faced inside was completely different from that of a typical classroom.
The large space was filled with warm sunlight, and the carpet felt under my feet was soft enough to lie down right away.
Large and small sofas that look comfortable even at a glance were laid out all over the place, and musical instruments and cute dolls were placed in several places in the middle.
All I could see was a large blackboard and books filling one side of the wall.
And there were small human figures that naturally took over such a space as if it were mine.
Everyone was looking at me to see if I had heard the sound coming in, but the appearance was different.
Belsach is astonished by his mouth wide open lying on the widest sofa.
Belsach's older sister Larane, who was reading a book with a large doll on one side.
And the twin sons of my aunt Shananet, Gilliu and Mayron, are sitting across the sunny window and looking at me with fat faces.
They were Lombardy's descendants, my cousins.
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"What? Why are you coming here?"
From where Belsach was lying, he jumped up and scream.
One voice is roaring.
It seems quite surprising, but I have no intention of answering.
"...Florentia?"
If the room wasn't quiet, I heard a voice so soft that I would not have heard it and missed it.
It was Larane, who was looking at me with only his head in the vicinity of Belsach.
"Ah ."
I was embarrassed and paused for a moment without knowing it.
It's been a long time since I've seen Larane.
Larane, a flower that was so fragile and delicate that it seemed to be from the same ship as Belsach.
As soon as she reached adulthood, she was married to a man with a large age difference through the arrangement of the empress.
People said it was a successful marriage business.
Although the nobleman was old, he was a hero who fought valiantly in the war, and he will soon inherit the title of his father.
No one knew.
How quickly a flower that fell alone in her husband's estate far away from Lombardy, which is right next to the Emperor's commandment, will wither.
It turned out that the husband was not a person who was attached to the family enough to take care of his young wife, and the servants of the house disregarded Larane as a pretext for this.
When Larane asked for help from her family, it was after Viese has already had a business with her son-in-law.
The answer that came back from her trusted parents was just saying, 'Do better!.'
So Larane dried up and soon returned to the dirt.
Too young, at a young age.
Larane, who cried after the wedding, saying that he did not want to leave Lombardy, was the last image I had ever seen.
"Are you taking classes now?"
Although she is five years older than me, the image of holding a large doll tightly was the image of a young lady of a noble family who grew up looking only at beautiful things.
"Yes, I came to take the class from today."
I nodded and answered Larane's question.
Belsach groaned as if he was upset at my answering Larane's questions, and ignoring his question.
"Lie!"
He stepped up and acted as if he was going to do anything right now, but all he did was walk away and bark like the king.
"Liars! Something like you is taking classes?"
This made it clear.
Belsach was still less beaten.
Will I have to wait for the mouth that only learns bad things from adults, to say a few more words?
"What's like me?"
I asked as if provocatively.
"Something like you! Low..."
"Shall I reach grandfather?"
When the word 'grandfather' came up, Belsach combined and shut up.
"Last time, the grandfather told you not to look at me again and say that I'm lowly. Are you breaking it now?"
I heard it from my father.
Grandpa called Belsach separately and scolded him.
"Belsach,"
With a smiling face, I deliberately approached Belsach.
"There are so many books here, right?"
"Uh..."
Belsach seemed to be frightened by the books scattered here and there.1
Yes, it's a book that will become a weapon when it comes to my hand.
I struck a final blow on Belsach.
"Shall I go and talk to Grandpa now?"
"No..."
The guy who retreated and frowned behind the stumbling movement eventually turned around and stomped back to the place where he was lying down before.
Oh, of course, he couldn't beat me, so he didn't forget to kick the innocent doll nearby.
Yes, where are you going to go with that personality?
Still, I sighed, it saying that I was fortunate that I had defeated the puppy I was trying to tackle.
It was Gilliu and Mayron sitting side by side by the window.
The two were 11-years-old this year and were the sons of Aunt Shananet, the eldest of my father's sister.
"Yes?"
Why are you looking at me like that?1
It was embarrassing.
Actually, of my cousins, these two were the least informed.
Since they are identical twins, they always fall into their own world, so they have no interest in the world around them.
If my cousins other than Larane ignored me, these kids were completely indifferent.
It's a level of indifference to the extent of seeing me being bullied and crying and walking by the side without changing their expression.
Moreover, there has been no traffic at all since Shananet's divorce and the two left with their father for the Schults family.
No more using Lombardy's surname, and even becoming Gilliu Schults and Mayron Schults.
His handsome appearance and early knighthood seemed to make him quite famous in the social world, but it was a different world story for me, who was busy working.
"Florentia."
The two spoke at the same time, as if they had had their breaths in advance.
"You said you hit Belsach?"
"And you said you won?"
But something is a little weird.
The faces of Gilliu and Mayron, who always had fat faces, seemed to be alive.
Besides, the two were smiling, though faintly.
What are these guys, it's scary.
I sat on a large sofa near the window, across from Belsach, crying for a retreat.
Most of them are young people using this room, and I liked the fact that it was a low-rise chair that wouldn't have to climb.
At that time, Gilliu spoke to me, tapping the windowsill.
"Come here and sit down."
"What?"
"Let's sit down with us."
Mayron received the word.
The two men's golden hair shone brighter in the sunlight from outside.
I looked back at them for a moment and said.
"If you want to sit with me, you two come over here."
I could see the two people's golden eyes moving together at the same time.
"Don't tell me to come and go."
I said so and turned my head around again.
I don't remember them being mean to me, but it was because I was in a bad mood, I felt like I was trying to get someone out with a single word.
Lombardy's children are very proud.
So, Gilliu and Mayron will soon become angry like Belsach...
Dump.
The sofa where I was sitting shook a little.
"What, what is it?"
Suddenly, two people came to this side and sat down as I said.
It is also on both sides of me.
"If you want to sit down with Florentia, come here?"
"So you're here, Tia."
"Yes, yes, let's call it Tia."
"Yes, let's do it."1
They like it with a laugh after exchanging words like comic stories.
I don't know, their mental world.
I shrugged.
I want to sit together, but I can't ask to sit somewhere else.
It was when I gave up halfway.
The door opened and Clerivan entered.
"Everyone is here. Then I'll start class."
Huh? Just like this?
I looked around in embarrassment.
However, everyone except me has no signs of embarrassment.
But there are no books, no pen?
At that time, the paper and writing instruments placed on one side of the room caught my eye.
Does it mean to take it if necessary?
However, the other cousins were only looking at Clerivan empty-handed.
Let's notice it.
I hugged the cushion and looked at Clerivan standing in front of the board.
"From today, we will learn about commerce, one of the important businesses of the Lombardy family."
Oh, it's a commercial.
Interesting.
That's how the full-scale class began.
And I was embarrassed.1
"...Commerce means "
Behind Clerivan's quiet voice, there was a sound that lingered like background music.
"Kreungpuhe. Oh yeah.."
It was Belsach's snoring sound scattered across the sofa.
It's not that loud, but it couldn't have been heard by Clerivan.
I wanted to wake you up at a glance, but I continued the class as if I had never seen it again.
At that moment, I felt a little chicken meat growing.
A teacher who is scolded and forced to teach is rather affectionate.
Clerivan didn't intend to force a guy who didn't focus on class like that in the first place.
Leave it to sleep without waking it up.
But it will be on the report after class.
I felt Mayron, who was sitting next to me, lost interest in class and opened the book next to me.
At that time, I could see Clerivan giving a short glance towards him.
You are seeing it all.
I quickly fixed my posture.
And I started showing 'I'm listening hard!' with my whole body.
I open my eyes poop, and sometimes my head nods.1
At first, it was acting, but afterward, I took a class with great concentration without knowing it.
It may be a boring lecture for young children, but it was an interesting class to feel Clerivan's profound knowledge of commerce.
"Okay, then today's class is pretty good."
I forgot about the passage of time and concentrated on it, so it was over.
Feeling a bit of regret, Belsach, who had fallen asleep, woke up with his eyes open and brushing his saliva.
You hear the sound that class is over like a ghost.
"I have special homework today."
"Homework?"
Larane, who had just gotten up with a doll, asked back in surprise.
As if homework wasn't common, Belsach as well as the twins were surprised.
"The deadline is until the next class. Homework ..."
Clerivan, who was smiling strangely, comes out with something behind the board.
Thud.
When I put it down on the floor, a rather heavy sound rang out.
"Log?"
What Clerivan took out was a thick log with the top and bottom cut off.
Originally, it was a fairly large tree, but the circumference of it was just as tall as an adult, and it was a really literal log, reaching up to Clerivan's knees.
"This is a b-bo tree that grows quickly, is hard, and is lighter than others, so it is widely used on the continent for a variety of purposes."
"How do you do that?"
Belsach asked bluntly.
But Belsach wasn't the only one surprised by Clerivan's sudden behavior.
Both Larane and the twins were staring at the log in front of them.
Maybe my facial expressions aren't that different either.
Clerivan, who looked at us, smiled a strange smile and said in a very refreshing manner.
"You can sell this until the next class."
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